Rescuers were tonight struggling to reach thousands of people left homeless in
a remote area of mountains and desert that straddles Iran’s border with
Pakistan after what one expert described as the region’s largest earthquake
in at least 1,000 years.

The 7.8 magnitude quake was felt across the Gulf, Afghanistan and India,
shaking buildings from Delhi to Dubai.

Power lines and communication networks were knocked out close to its
epicentre, hampering an accurate assessment of the damage, but in Pakistan
officials confirmed at least 34 people had been killed.

Political leaders in Pakistan’s worst affected area said that the toll